Five years ago I started to lift weights, I was 53 years old and had just downshifted away from the rat race taking semi retirement, the slow and sometime faltering progress was chartered in my old journal 'Into the Deep End'. That journal is now closed.
Some of you will know I've had a sh1t year so far. I took on a temporary work contract that drained my energy and took away any work/life balance. During this time my Mum was declining rapidly and passed away two days into a week's holiday booked in March, so I didn't get a break. On returning to work things soon started to spiral downwards and eventually a couple of weeks ago I was signed off with depression. At that point I took a good hard look at my life, one morning I listed a series of headings... Job, Relationships, Social Life, Holidays. Hobbies, Training etc and marked them out of 100... a couple of the headings got zero... this focused my thoughts. I resigned the contract and decided to take several months off.
The old journal had run it's course. In it's time I have broken both wrists and lost a testicle (the two events are not connected). I have broadened out (in a good way) and gained strength and am fitter now than 5 years ago ( I have also gained several body piercings in the last two years too ) . I'm never going to be a bodybuilder or power lifter but at least I can try to look as good as possible for as long as possible ... and lets face it there are seniors older than me out there who are competing and looking great for their years.
I have followed many different programs in the last 5 years and have the experience to create my own, but decided to follow a program from bodybuilding.com called Jim Stoppani's 12 week shortcut to size. In truth it is a program I tried to do before however it became too difficult with the demands of work, but I rather liked the concept that underpinned it.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/shortcut-to-size-training.html
The program is based around periodisation, in other words changing the training at specified points . To begin with you do light weights at high reps and as the program progresses the weights become heavier and the reps lower. The other element of this program is microcycles, where the weights and rep ranges are changed on a weekly basis. Traditional periodisation routines the same weight/rep ranges might last a month or more.
There will be four workouts a week lasting 12 weeks. Now this wont be a straight 12 weeks as I intend to take a break down south in June and unless I can find a decent pay as you go gym in the Caterham area wont be training whilst away. But I expect to finish by the middle of September when I have faithfully promised my best friends I will join them in the South of France on holiday.
Nutrition has always been hit and miss, more miss than hit actually. This is something else I shall focus on despite having to watch my expenditure whilst not working ...
The first session of this program begins tomorrow morning....
@Flubs @Mingster @Rykard @Dirk McQuickly @BestBefore1989 @Dai Jones and anyone else who wants to follow
Some of you will know I've had a sh1t year so far. I took on a temporary work contract that drained my energy and took away any work/life balance. During this time my Mum was declining rapidly and passed away two days into a week's holiday booked in March, so I didn't get a break. On returning to work things soon started to spiral downwards and eventually a couple of weeks ago I was signed off with depression. At that point I took a good hard look at my life, one morning I listed a series of headings... Job, Relationships, Social Life, Holidays. Hobbies, Training etc and marked them out of 100... a couple of the headings got zero... this focused my thoughts. I resigned the contract and decided to take several months off.
The old journal had run it's course. In it's time I have broken both wrists and lost a testicle (the two events are not connected). I have broadened out (in a good way) and gained strength and am fitter now than 5 years ago ( I have also gained several body piercings in the last two years too ) . I'm never going to be a bodybuilder or power lifter but at least I can try to look as good as possible for as long as possible ... and lets face it there are seniors older than me out there who are competing and looking great for their years.
I have followed many different programs in the last 5 years and have the experience to create my own, but decided to follow a program from bodybuilding.com called Jim Stoppani's 12 week shortcut to size. In truth it is a program I tried to do before however it became too difficult with the demands of work, but I rather liked the concept that underpinned it.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/shortcut-to-size-training.html
The program is based around periodisation, in other words changing the training at specified points . To begin with you do light weights at high reps and as the program progresses the weights become heavier and the reps lower. The other element of this program is microcycles, where the weights and rep ranges are changed on a weekly basis. Traditional periodisation routines the same weight/rep ranges might last a month or more.
There will be four workouts a week lasting 12 weeks. Now this wont be a straight 12 weeks as I intend to take a break down south in June and unless I can find a decent pay as you go gym in the Caterham area wont be training whilst away. But I expect to finish by the middle of September when I have faithfully promised my best friends I will join them in the South of France on holiday.
Nutrition has always been hit and miss, more miss than hit actually. This is something else I shall focus on despite having to watch my expenditure whilst not working ...
The first session of this program begins tomorrow morning....
@Flubs @Mingster @Rykard @Dirk McQuickly @BestBefore1989 @Dai Jones and anyone else who wants to follow